Last weekend marked the return of Lamprey Systems’ yearly cyclcoross event. 377 entrants across 15 categories raced with many of their families spectating and taking part in the festivities which including live music, food and beer. The yearly event has always been a great way for Lamprey to connect with the local Lehigh Valley community and this year was especially important with a raffle taking place during the event to benefit the family of Dan Wilson.

The Course

Classic flowing cyclocross course with two sets of barriers and variable terrain including grass, pavement, and gravel. There were some good elevation changes within the park which featured the “St. Lukes Staircase”. As with every year, there was live music and beer to keep the riders energized. Dan Wilson

Results

The best result for the team once again came from Jennifer Hetrick who continued her medal run with a 3rd place finish is her first 1/2/3 race. This is the second week in a row in which Jennifer podium. Jennifer was bested by Kathleen WulfKuhle of Lancbike Presented by Gretna Bikes and by Lauren Dagostino of Team Elite Endurance who finished 1st and 2nd respectively.

Joe Pigga was the next best placed Lamprey rider after Jennifer. Competing in the Men’s 35+ race Joe scored a 4th place finished just narrowing missing the podium. The Men’s 35+ was as always one of the most active races for Team Lamprey with 4 riders taking part in it. Joe was joined by Lamprey riders Mike Yozell, Stephen Olenchock and David Molinero Giles who finished 7th, 11th and 19th respectively. In total 13 Lamprey riders raced on Saturday, many of whom competed in mulitple. David Molinero Giles, who flew in from California, competing in a staggering 4 events!

Joe somehow found himself on the podium despite his 4th place finish

Dan Wilson

This year was an especially hard year for Lamprey Cycling Team. Lamprey Team member Dan Wilson’s life was tragically taken on July 9th, 2015 while he was bicycling near his home by an individual who was charged with driving while intoxicated and without being properly licensed. He left behind his best friend and loving wife, Jill and two wonderful boys, ages 8 and 11. In his honor, Specialized and Cutter’s Bike Shop teamed up to offer a raffle at Town Hall Cross for a Specialized Rockhoper 29” mountain bike (and Specialized Tactic helmet) with the proceeds going to Dan Wilson’s family. In addition to the raffle, profits from Town Hall Cross also went to his family. If you wish to donate as well, there has been a GoFundMe campaign set up which has currently raised $40,000.

Team Lamprey Systems starts the season strong at Nittany Lion Cross.

It was a muddy season opener in Trexlertown, PA which saw 11 Lamprey Systems riders take to the start line over two days. The best result for the team came on day 2 from Jennifer Hetrick who crossed the line 2nd in the Women’s 3/4 race, a confident 48 seconds ahead of 3rd.

Jennifer Hetrick on the Podium

Day 1

Day 1 saw 8 Lamprey Systems riders compete across 4 categories. The best placed Lamprey Systems rider of the day was Sabnia Olenchock who cracked the top 10 placing 9th in the Women’s 40+ event. The Men’s 35+ category saw the most action for the team however with 4 Lamprey Systems team members competing in it. Joe Pigga, Chris Garges, Stephen Olenchock and Greg Ahnert took part in the 45 minute event with Joe Pigga finishing highest at 22nd. Amy Ahnert was the sole team member competing in the women’s 3/4 race where she finished 19th while Ron Kriner and Jeffrey Bays competed in the Men’s 4/5 race finishing 49th and 69th in a large field of 105 participants.

Sabina Racing on Day 1

Day 2

Day 2 brought the mud and along with it better results. Jennifer Hetrick secured her 2nd place in the Women’s Cat 3/4 race on Sunday while the men’s fortunes improved as well. The 35+ squad of Joe Pigga, Chris Garges, Greg Ahnert and Stephen Olenchock all saw their placings improve with Joe once again having the best result of the bunch, crossing the line 14th. Frank Ingraham joined Jeffery Bays in the Men’s 4/5 race placing 53rd and 38th respectively while Amy Ahnert improved on her 19th the day before by placing 18th on Sunday.

Mike Yozell Takes Silver!

Lamprey Cycling Team rider Mike Yozell took silver at USA Cyclocross National Championships in Austin, Texas.

The course was still dry in Zilker Park for the CX Men Master 45-49 category. Mike Yozell came into the race hot off of winning the Resolution Cross Cup in Garland, Texas and was hoping to add a Cyclocross National Champion jersey to the three Mountain Bike National Champion jerseys he has already won.

It was a hotly contested event full of ups and downs for Mike Yozell with Mike leading the race for a time and even crashing once during the event.

In the end it was Peter Webber of Boulder Cycle Sport who took home gold by a margin of 15 seconds. It was Webber’s first time competing in the 45-59 category but his 5th national championship win in cyclocross. Webber adds his victory in Austin to the four national cyclocross titles he won in the 40-44 age category in years past and one mountain bike national title which he won in 2010.

In a thrilling conclusion, Mike Yozell, recovering from his crash, went head to head for 2nd with Kevin O’Brien of Groove Subaru Excel Sports, beating O’Brien on the line. 4th place James Cochran of Atlas Cycling came in just 2 seconds behind for a dramatic race for the top podium places.

The Rest of the Team

The rest of the team had more challenging days with Joe and Greg finishing mid-pack while Joe, who was expecting a top 10, suffered from illness.

What’s Next?

With Cyclocross Nationals over, the team finishes up the season and takes a break from competition. The next races on the calendar will be road and mountain bike races starting in spring where the team won numerous races last year. Until then, resting and training.

Team Lamprey Systems is proud to announce that three of its riders will be racing Cyclocross National Championships in Austin, Texas. The three riders racing in Austin will be Mike Yozell, Joe Pigga and Greg Ahnert. Together, this team has a real chance at bringing home at least one national champion!

The National Championship Team

Mike Yozell

Mike is new to the Lamprey Systems cycling team this year and comes to the team with a wealth of wins and experience. Mike is a reigning mountain bike National Champion and in 2013 won silver at the UCI Master’s Cyclocross World Championships. Most recently, Mike won the Resolution Cross Cup and Limestone Cross and has placed in the top 3 in the last 7 cyclocross races he has entered.

Joe Pigga

Joe is a veteran Lamprey Systems racer having raced for the team the past 3 seasons. Joe came 3rd to Mike at Limestone Cross and won the Pennsylvania Cyclocross (PACX) Series Finale in November. Joe also won the overall title at the Lehigh Valley’s own local weekly Fifth Street Cross series.

Greg Ahnert

Greg is a founding member of Lamprey Systems cycling team and brings years of experience to the Cyclocross National Championships squad. Greg is an avid road, cyclocross and mountain bike racer and over the summer won the Bear Creek Challenge. USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships takes place January 7th through 11th at Austin’s Zilker Park. For updates on the team, follow @lampreysystems

Sabina wins again!

Sabina won the cat 3/4 women’s race at Cross of the Corn this past Sunday. It was a highly technical course at Fields of Adventure in Aspers, PA with 15 competitive racers taking part.

Lamprey – St Luke’s Hospital rider Stephen Olenchock also took part in the race, racing in the men’s 35+ category.

Riders had to navigate the legendary and highly unusual corn maze section of the course as well as rolling terrains, dirt roads, and the unique hecklers’ spectators bridge. This race marked the kick-off of cyclocross season, a discipline of competitive cycling which Lamprey – St Luke’s Hospital Cycling Team targets heavily.

The team races next this weekend at Nittany Lion Cross in Trexlertown, Pa where the whole team will be out in force.

Lamprey Cycling Team was out in full force at the City Cycle 17 in Pottsville, Pa. winning medals across the board. The largest victory came from Joe Pigga who took home the overall victory in the men’s race with a commanding lead over defending champ Jared Fenstermacher. Lamprey cyclist Christopher Garges rounded out the podium taking 3rd, just 2 seconds behind Fenstermacher.

The race was a local event, sponsored by the Pottsville Recreation Commission and The Republican-Herald. Crowds were large along the 17 mile, five lap, race which featured a steep hill near the finish in the western end of Pottsville Pennsylvania. The race itself came down to a select group of 8 riders on the final lap with Pigga being surrounded by several teammates. Coming into the final turn, Pigga attacked from the select group and Fenstermacher was unable to follow the acceleration, sealing Pigga’s victory.

The wins didn’t stop there. Lamprey won several age group category races with Jonathan Ruiz winning the 30 – 34 age group and Greg Ahnert winning the 45 – 49 age group. Lamprey Cycling also had an exciting day with brilliant results in the kid races. In the 4 and under race, Amaris Ruiz came 3rd, while Ella Ahnert won the 7 - 8 category. Ashley Ahnert also got a win, winning the 9 - 11 category while Autumn Garges took 3rd. In the boys’ races, Joshua Garges won the 7 - 8 race while Alexander Ahnert got 2nd in the boys ages 5 – 6 race.

Lamprey Systems athlete Chris Garges won the Wilkes-Barre Duathlon this past Sunday for his 3rd time! Chris finished the event with a time of 1 hour and 17 minutes, beating his nearest rival Tim Scanlan but nearly 5 minutes to take the win.

The event was grueling, comprised of a 3.1 mile run followed by a 16.5 mile bike and capped with a second 3.1 mile run set in the center of the city of Wilkes-Barre. Chris, who had prepared for this event by running the Boston Marathon in under 3 hours, said the cool weather on Sunday helped him win. We at Lamprey Systems are looking forward to next year and a 4th win by Chris at this local event.

The Wilkes-Barre Duathlon is a USAT sanctioned race. For a more in-depth article on the days events please see the timesleader.com

Lamprey rider and founder Greg Ahnert won Ramsey’s Revenge Cat 2 race for ages 40 to 49 in a hotly contested match finishing just 5 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Pete Ahearn in a field of 35 competitors. It was Greg’s first win in a Cat 2 field and one of his first mountain bike races at that level. The race was an intense 2 lap event set in the historic First State National Monument in Delaware.

Greg with his prize

The course was diverse, featuring rocks, roots, logs, open farm field doubletrack, tight, technical, wooded singletrack, steep climbs, fast descents and more. By completing the two laps in a time of 1 hour, 26 minutes and 16 seconds, Greg secured himself a top 10 fastest time in any category racing that day.

It was a perfect day for riding at Bear Creek Mountain Resort & Conference Center in Berks County, PA. The course was a technical and quick grassy 12 lap circuit.Joe crossed the line with a time of 31:37, just 43 seconds off the first place time and well ahead of 3rd place. Beaten once again by his perennial rival, Michael Yozzel of the Kapelmuur Independent team, Joe was content with his performance having chosen to focus on races later in the season.

While we didn’t win the cup this year, we made a very strong showing as a team.

Greg, Joe, and Marten rode a really solid TTT. We had the right combination of ingredients including smooth rotation, good lines (except when Marten took us through both man hole covers), and a solid consistent pace. We all knew that it was a good result right after crossing the finish, and just before the crit we got the results from Andy that we did indeed win. A very good effort, especially when most other teams had 4 or 5 riders.

The crit was 42 laps,a bit longer then the usual Thursday night race, and points every 3 laps would only be scored 3 deep. We would regroup through lap 21 which was worth double points, and then the race is wide open. Roland was able to come for the crit, so we could field 4 riders for the points race. It took a few sprints to get our teamwork together, but then Greg and Marten won two of them, Joe got some points, and we were coming into the double point lap. Marten jumped early, hoping to give Greg, Joe, and Roland a chance to follow wheels into the sprint and impending attacks. He managed to hold it to the line, but then was really struggling to follow the attacks from Lehigh Wheelmen and Cycledrome. Three Wheelmen riders were off the front, and a small chase group formed with two Alliance riders, two Cycledrome, and Marten. A few riders dropped out of these groups, but two Lehigh Wheelmen riders stayed away to go 1-2 in the next sprints. Marten and a Cycledrome rider got to within 12 seconds but couldn’t close the gap until less than 3 to go. Coming into the final sprint a Wheelmen rider led it out through the final turn, and Marten managed to get around him before the line to take the final sprint. But those points weren’t enough to overcome the deficit to the Wheelmen team.